Almond Puff Pastry Pies
These little pies, which are filled with nuts—almonds, pine nuts, pistachios, or walnuts—can be served with tea or coffee, either dusted with confectioners’ sugar or dipped in syrup. Use commercial fresh or frozen and defrosted puff pastry.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 24 pies
Ingredients
For the Almond Filling
Preparation
Step 1
It is important to roll out the puff pastry as thinly as you possibly can. It is easier to do so if you cut the block into four equal pieces and roll out each one separately. Dust the surface and the rolling pin with flour, and roll out the sheet of pastry, turning it over and dusting it with flour, until you can cut out 6 rounds with a 4-inch pastry cutter. Put the rounds in a pile and wrap the pile in plastic wrap. Do the same with the remaining pastry.
Step 2
Mix the filling ingredients to a paste. Put a tablespoon of the filling in the center of each round and bring the edges up together over the filling to make a half-moon shape. Seal the edges by pinching them very firmly together. A traditional way is to twist the edges making a scalloped effect; another is to press down the edges with the prongs of a fork. Moistening the edges with a finger dipped in water helps to make the pastry stick.
Step 3
Arrange the pies on sheets of foil on baking trays. Brush the tops with melted butter and bake in an oven preheated to 400°F for about 15 minutes, or until they are puffed up and lightly golden. Let them cool before dusting with confectioners’ sugar.
variations
Step 4
For a pine nut filling, blend 3 cups pine nuts in the food processor with 1 cup superfine sugar and 4 tablespoons orange blossom water.
Step 5
For a pistachio filling, blend 3 cups pistachios in the food processor with 1 cup superfine sugar and 4 tablespoons rose water (see page 7).
Step 6
For a walnut filling, blend 3 cups walnuts in the food processor with 1 cup sugar, the grated rind of 1 orange, and 4 tablespoons fresh orange juice.
Step 7
For the pastries in syrup, bring to the boil 1 1/4 cups water and 2 3/4 cups sugar with 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Lower the heat and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the sugar is completely dissolved. Let it cool and then chill it in the refrigerator. Make the pastries as in the above recipe, or with any of the fillings in the listed variations. Do not dust them with confectioners’ sugar but dip them in the cold syrup immediately after they come out of the oven.
